Give Your Home Office The Perfect Built-In Desk With A Creative IKEA Hack

A well-organized home office should make working remotely both comfortable and efficient. The ideal space contains minimal distractions and offers plenty of storage for items such as your notes, books, and documents, without feeling too cluttered. However, spacious desks and bulky filing cabinets can eat up a lot of square footage, especially if you don't have a dedicated room in the house for your office. Luckily, there's another way to upgrade this space by taking a chest of drawers and adding shelving to create a built-in desk that is flush with your wall. 

A built-in desk that utilizes the IKEA ​​KOPPANG chest of drawers at the center of its frame might be the perfect installation for your home office. This space-saving hack comes from @theedgewoodhome on Instagram, who has a great DIY tutorial video for the entire project. The finished product offers plenty of shelving alongside the three IKEA drawers that are built into the desk itself. Elisa's idea is great for homeowners who want to build their office in a room that already functions as a normal living area. Her idea is also a creative way to add more storage space to a kid's room.

Part of what makes Elisa's built-in desk look so neat is how seamlessly it connects with the wall and ceiling. By removing the baseboard at the beginning of the project and replacing the crown molding, Elisa ensures that the entire installation is flush with the wall. To give your desk a similar built-in appearance, you'll want to start by doing the exact same thing. Consider investing in solid wood planks for this fixture rather than medium density fiberboard (MDF), since the former is significantly more durable, and you'll presumably be adding a lot of weight to both the shelves and the desk.

When it comes to assembling or disassembling your IKEA drawers for this project, make sure to leave off or remove the top panel of the furnishing. This allows you to set up the desk and the surface of the drawers at a single, unified height. It's also a good idea to remove the drawers themselves to avoid accidentally drilling into them when installing the side panels. Remember to attach the fixture to the wall using IKEA's included tipover prevention hardware before installing any of the wooden boards around the furnishing.

Elisa uses wooden French cleats to secure her shelves and desk. However, you can just as easily use MHMYDZ metal shelf brackets or a similar bracket in their place. Make sure to pick a product that matches your desired paint color and won't jut out into your leg space below the desk.

An optimal home office design allows you to work comfortably for extended periods of time and easily keep your space clutter-free. Whether you're planning to follow Elisa's DIY project or you want to try a different clever IKEA desk hack, there are several functionality concerns you should address first. To begin with, consider the lighting in the room. A dedicated desk lamp or a ceiling fixture directly over the desk is a good idea for any setup that doesn't get a lot of natural light. Next, think about the height of the desk and the ergonomic arrangement it creates. If the desk is too high or too low, it can be bad for your posture.

Another thing you'll need to consider when building a home office is cord and outlet placement. The built-in desk design leaves little room for computer cords, so you might want to cut a small hole near the back of the desk and add a Construct Pro spring-lock cable passthrough port, especially if there's an outlet directly below. A set of Nettbe velcro cable ties can also stop your cords from creating clutter. Finally, review the accessibility of your new desk's storage space. Everyday items like your calendar, documents, notes, and pens should be easy to reach without getting up.